The One that Got Away
by Ismeme
Summary: Jellal is on a job to catch a murderer, but things quickly go down hill when he realizes who the man is really after. Now it's up to Jellal to save Erza, before it's too late. Jellal/Erza, one shot.


A/N: Another Fairy Tail one shot. This one is for all the Jellal/Erza fans, and if you like it I hope you check out some of my other one shots. All reviews would be greatly appreciated, even anonymous ones. Thanks.

* * *

Jellal bent down and took the burnt piece of wood in between his fingers. The destruction was pretty bad, the still smoking houses showing that the fight had just recently taken place. It looked like a hurricane had been through there. Or, more accurately, a member of Fairy Tail. This wasn't good, not one bit.

He was currently on a mission; hunt down and detain a mass murder who had taken several unlucky mage's lives. He wasn't as easy to catch as originally thought; every time Jellal thought he was getting closer to him he seemed to disappear, lengthening what was turning into a wild goose chase. He had no idea what the guy was after, or where he was taking him, but the fact that he had lead him to another member of Fairy Tail couldn't be a good sign. Jellal looked closer at the damage. Now, on closer inspection, he could tell which mage – or mages – had passed. There were several deep gashes in the ground and trees, like someone had taken a chainsaw to them. Or a very powerful sword. So that was it then. He was after Erza.

Jellal hopped back, stunned at the realization. He was after Erza? But what could he want with her? What was she even doing here in the first place? All these questions raced through his head, each one more panicked than the last. He did a quick scan of his surroundings, hoping for a hint as to where she had gone. The trail seemed to lead north, and given the many footprints engraved into the dirt, she wasn't alone. Jellal took off after her, forcing his feet to get there as soon as possible. He hoped – correction, begged – that no matter what happened, he wasn't too late.

* * *

How many of these guys were there? No matter how many she defeated, they just kept coming. She had recently taken a job – solo, this time – that required she take down the bandits that were robbing innocent travelers. It seemed simple enough, but things went down quickly after what started as a small group turned into an army. Now she was getting exhausted, batting one after the other out of her way, and if she didn't think up something soon, things were definitely not going to end well for her.

Then, just as quickly as it had began, it stopped. They backed down and watched her with hungry eyes, but not one of them dared approach. She couldn't tell what had caused this, but her wondering was soon put to rest when a tall many in a thick white coat strolled through the crowd, everyone parting like the red sea for him. He was slightly plump and dressed extravagantly, and the cocky look on his face was enough to tell Erza that they were not going to get along. He stopped just a few feet from her, regarding her as if she were a dog he was preparing to punish.

"Who the hell are you?" Erza was the first to break the silence.

"Me? Oh, no one important. I just wanted to see you one last time. To think, me, be the one to take down the mighty Titania." He responded with false modesty. She gave him a snarl and gripped her sword tighter.

"What do you want?" Her mind was still having trouble keeping up with this whole thing.

"Me?" _Noooooo, I was talking to the punk behind you, dumb ass. _Erza thought sarcastically. Needless to say, she was not in a good mood.

"All I want is to take down a real mage. I mean, sure, I've already killed my fair share of wizards, but none have been quite as powerful as you. If it weren't for that pesky boy I might have been able to deal with you sooner. Oh well, better late than never."

The crowd behind him was getting more rowdy, like they had been starved for days and they had finally found a meal. She didn't know exactly what kind of magic he had, but it seemed to be manipulating the crowd, which meant bad news for her. She requipped into her strongest armor, and got ready for whatever it was he was planning. For the first time in a while, she wished that she had her team here to back her up. But there was no point in dwelling on it now. The first mage stepped forward, and she reacted before her mind could even process it.

The first few were easy to take out, but gradually they got more brave and more began pouncing her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could spot the leader mage pointing a finger at her. Before she could try and guess what he was doing, a burst of energy shot towards her at a dangerously fast speed. With all the peons attacking her, she was powerless to defend herself. The most she could do was pray the damage wouldn't be that bad.

She closed her eyes and wait for it to hit her, but to her surprise, felt nothing. Cracking open one eye, she peaked to see what had happened. The peons had backed down and there was no sign of the energy wave, and speaking overall, she was relatively unhurt. Standing directly in front of her, she could see a mess of blue hair, and a strong built body. There was a shield in front of them, probably what had protected her from the sudden wave, and when he turned his head the slightest she recognized him instantly.

"Jellal?" What was he doing here? She couldn't believe her eyes. He cracked a small smile, and unlike times from not too long ago, his eyes were full of compassion.

"Hey. You alright?" The man was quickly recovering from his shock, along with the crowd.

"Oh, ya, I'm fine. What are you doing here?" She didn't even know how to respond.

"I thought you could use some help. If that's okay with you...?" She shook her head, forcing herself out of her daze. Now was no time to be surprised, she had a job to do.

"Yes, that's fine. I'm, uh, glad you showed up." Why was she acting so awkward? Things had been patched up between her and Jellal, seeing him again shouldn't be such a shock. But despite her reassurances, she couldn't shake the odd feeling. Old habits really do die hard. Or live forever.

"So, what do we do?" He asked her. The crowd was gearing up to attack again, and they had less than seconds to come up with a plan.

"Back to back." Erza said, and on cue they were pressing against each other. Comparing the fact that they were surrounded, it was the best course of action.

The man was looking at them wearily. While defeating them on their own would have been an easy task, trying to defeat them together might prove more difficult. Regardless, he motioned for the crowd to attack, and on command, they pounced.

Man after man collapsed onto the ground as Erza and Jellal took them out one by one. They stayed close to each other, covering the others weak spots, and in no time the crowd quickly began disintegrating. For every cut they received the other was quick to dive in and save them. For a moment, their eyes caught, and despite the heat of the situation, they smiled. It was just like old times.

Though the crowd was thinning they were quickly tiring. Erza's swings lost power, and Jellal's spells were weaker. Even if they had enough power to defeat the crowd, it was going to be hell trying to get rid of their leader. But there was no time to think about that now, because the last of the group had retreated, leaving the two alone to face the extravagant wizard.

"What now?" Erza asked. She was panting and her legs were shaky, and Jellal wasn't looking much better. They were covered in scratched and bruises, leaning against each other just to stay up right. Today was not going to be their day.

"I'm surprised. You're both still alive, I'd think that eventually you'd just die from your injuries. Well, that doesn't matter now. Because I'm still alive and well, while you two, on the other hand, won't be." They were powerless to argue against him. Erza flashed Jellal a pleading look.

"What do we do?" She asked him. He pursued his lips and she could see the gears turning in his head.

"I don't know. My magic is running out, but maybe I could try using a sword."

"Thanks, but I'd prefer you kept that in your pants." Erza joked. He laughed along side her, and some of the tension was released.

They needed to think something up quickly. The man shot an energy wave towards them, being only a second from hitting them before Jellal put up a shield. They were both lost, defense being the only thing they were capable of at the moment, and Erza knew something had to be done. There was no time for intricate plans, so she did the thing that came naturally: she charged.

The man was surprised by the sudden onslaught, barely having enough time to dodge her sword. Once again, her eyes caught with Jellal, and they both knew what they had to do. _I'll distract, you go in for the kill._ Erza swung again, this time nicking his arm. He tried to retaliate, but the close distance made aiming the energy waves hard, and both of them seemed to be at a standstill. Seeing his opportunity, Jellal fired a powerful heavenly body spell, doing his best not to get Erza caught in the carnage. At the last second, she jumped back, leaving the man vulnerable to the the on coming spell. And then, as quickly as it had begun, it was over.

"That was fun." Erza joked as they both collapsed to the ground. They both had more than their fair share of injuries, and probably needed to get to a doctor soon, before they suffered some kind of concussion.

Jellal shrugged. "I've had better." They laughed together. It's funny, had they met under any other circumstances, things might have been awkward, but it took a fight for their lives to make it like they were old friends. It's funny how quickly things could change.

For several moments, they just lay there, basking in the temporary delight. Finally, Jellal forced himself back to his feet, pulling Erza up along with him.

"Well, you should probably get back. You're friends may be worried about you." She rubbed the back of her neck and shrugged, murmuring a little 'ditto' under her breath.

The awkward part finally came when they both took off in the same direction, smiling shyly the whole way. Though neither was willing to say it, they enjoyed it. But even greatest things only lasted so long, and Jellal only had a milisecond to spot the energy wave that was moving towards them at a rapid pace.

Had he had more energy, he might have been able to put up a shield, but after what had happened all he could do was sit there and wait. The his surprise, instead of it wiping him into oblivion, it hit the worst person other than him: Erza. Her body was enveloped in the energy, topped by a blood curdling scream. Jellal felt every thought in his mind travel at snail pace, as he was helpless to do anything but watch. It only took a second, but it felt like an eternity.

When the energy disappeared all that was left was Erza's charred body lying on the ground, and from the distance the faint sound of chuckling carried to his ears. His body reacted before his mind. Spinning on his heel, he turned and launched a disastrous spell, one big enough that it left a crater in the earth. The spell destroyed everything in it's path in less than a second. The man was no longer there, instead a pile of ashes in his place. Jellal didn't have even a moment to celebrate his victory. Crouching down, he took the broken mage into his arms, hoping that his worst fears weren't coming true.

Her body had been horribly injured from the attack, and it didn't help that she was already in bad shape to begin with. More than ever in his life he wished he knew healing magic, but wishing wouldn't help him now. He cradled her, the weight of the world bearing down on his shoulders.

"Please, Erza, please..." He didn't know what else to do. In his arms, she stirred just the slightest, and he knew that not all hope was lost. Getting back on his feet – a task that was hard enough without a injured mage in his arms – he began racing back towards the way they came, hopefully the way Fairy Tail would be.

"Hold on, Erza, hold on." He moved as fast as his feet would carry him, which was just barely fast enough to put a snail to shame. She stirred a little more and mumbled something incoherent.

In his mind, he kept wishing for the same thing over and over. Praying, wishing, begging, that no matter what happened, he wasn't too late.

* * *

Had it not been for Natsu and Happy perched on the roof, they might not have even noticed the two approaching mages.

Happy was the first to point it out. Over the horizon, the outline of a strong mage could be made, in his arms a very burnt and injured member of Fairy Tail. Natsu jumped off the roof and landed face first onto the concrete, but seemed completely unaffected as he raced towards the approaching figures. On closer inspection, he could make out Jellal, and in his arms a passed out Erza. That couldn't good.

"Hey, what did you-" Jellal didn't even look at the mage as he collapsed to his knees, giving him a look so desperate even Natsu couldn't stay angry. Behind him, Gray, Lucy, Mirajane, and Elfman had raced out to see the commotion.

"What happened?" Lucy shouted, horrified to see her friend in such a condition. Jellal set her on the ground. Mirajane crouched down and did a quick inspection of her injuries, before motioning for Elfman to pick her up and take her inside to the ward. Before the two siblings could disappear, and Mirajane turned and gave a sincere look to Jellal. It said what she couldn't: _I understand, and I promise I won't let anything bad happen to her._ Some of the weight was relieved from his shoulders. He fell back to the ground, ready for this day to just end.

"What did you do to Erza?" Natsu gave him an accusing look, earning him a smack to the head by Lucy. Jellal took a moment to let his mind collect itself before responding.

"I was on a job...and this man was after Erza...he tried to kill her...we thought we defeated him...she almost died..." His mind was jumbled, but it was enough to give the team a picture. Natsu's expression went from one of blame to one of sympathy.

"Don't worry about it. Your safe here." Natsu and Gray hauled him back to his feet, gently guiding him to the ward. It was funny, having someone whom he nearly killed was carrying him to safety. Life really does work in mysterious ways.

Everyone stared as Jellal passed and was lead into the ward, where several mages scrambled to treat their friend. He plopped down on the bed, not even caring that no one noticed him. From the corner of his eye, he could see Erza, now slightly more aware, and the several mages as they hooked odd machines up to her. His eyes caught with hers. They told him that she wasn't angry. Not for anything. Not for their past, not for the future.

And despite the pain, Jellal couldn't help but smile.

* * *

When Jellal finally opened his eyes again, the sun was ducking over the horizon and the usually rowdy sounds of Fairy Tail had died down. Most of his wounds had been healed, save for a few deeper ones that would no doubt leave scars. He sat up slowly, the blood draining from his head and his thoughts piecing themselves back together again. He was in the same bed from earlier, in the same ward where they had taken Erza. Erza. Of course, how could he forget? Turning his head, his eyes fell on the requip wizard of his thoughts. She was still passed out cold, but looked a lot better than before. He sighed and lie back down.

For a few moments, he just lie there, letting the whole situation sink into his skin. When he had taken this job, he never imagined that it would lead to something like this. But nevertheless, it was nice to see her again. She was as determined as ever, and even now he couldn't help feeling sad about all the things that had happened between them. But who knows, maybe this time would be different. He sighed again. Even if was different, it wouldn't be right. It's best he left now, before she woke up and realized everything that had happened.

Pulling the now clean jacket back over his damaged clothes, he creaked open the door knob as gently as it would allow. But before he could step through the thin wood door, a question interrupted him.

"What do you think your doing?" Erza said in her usual firm tone. He winced and turned to her, hand still gripping the handle.

"Leaving." Was his curt response. She frowned. She was still pale and he could tell that just the act of sitting up made her dizzy. Nevertheless, she was determined.

"Why? You're not even fully healed." He smiled at her poor attempt at keeping him around.

"I think I'll be fine." He tried to make another escape, but she beat him to it.

"Wait." He turned to look at her, and was surprised when instead of determined, she looked desperate.

"Please don't go." She said in a low, un-Erza like tone. He was torn with indecision, but ultimately decided to stay.

Waltzing over the her bed, he took a seat at the foot and some of her panic seemed to die down. Neither was sure where to begin. Jellal was the first to break the silence.

"You alright?" He asked awkwardly. She nodded and lie back onto the bed.

"And you?" He gave a nod.

"Good." She said, fiddling with one of her many band aids.

"I'm sorry, about what happened." She gave him a quizzical look.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean..._this._" He motioned to her injured body.

"This? How is this your fault?" She gave him a suspicious look, which was fair, comparing she didn't even know what the guy was after.

"I mean..." Even he didn't really know what he meant. He was just sorry. For everything.

Erza cracked a smile, like she had read his mind. "Don't worry. I know this wasn't your fault." He returned the smile, and the wire around his neck loosened.

"Well, I should probably get going." He said, standing up and heading for the door. She shot up and reached out a hand, looking more desperate than ever before.

He waited for her to say something, but after a moment she put her hand down. She motioned for him to come over, and reluctantly, he obeyed.

He didn't understand what she was planning, even as she motioned for him to stand next to her. Grabbing his arm, she yanked him down until his face was level with hers. Instead of doing what he really wished she would do, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him as tight as her body would allow. He did the same, wrapping his arms around her waist. For the longest time, they just stayed there, bathing in the bliss.

Then, before Jellal could realize it, she was kissing him.

He didn't know how to respond, surprised at the sudden gesture, but after a moment gave in. Though it only lasted a few seconds, it might as well been an eternity. Erza pulled back and gave him a sweet smile. He returned it, for the first time in his life not running away from the affection. They unwrapped their arms and he once again took off for the door, and this time, he wasn't stopped.

"Goodbye." She said, drowsiness already over coming her. Instead of repeating it back, he knew something better to say.

"See you soon." He said, shutting the door before he could see Erza's shocked face. At this point, the sun had disappeared and most of the guild had gone home, save for a few heavy drinkers and Team Natsu. They looked at him with a mix of wonder and worry. His only response was a small, lopsided smile. Opening the guild doors, he gave one last look at the guild before disappearing into the night.

Maybe he was wrong. Maybe today would be a good day.


End file.
